What Class are these?

[BillRoss]

Anyone know what company manufactured these? And what class are they? There is a small DOT notice so I assume that they are Class 5 or 6.
Class 5 should have the "Caution" notice. These have the "Warning" notice but does not have the "50 mg" notice that I would expect to see for Class 6.
Any thoughts?
http://www.pyrotalk.com/bulletin/attachment.php?attachmentid=2702&stc=1

[countryboy7978]

These firecrackers were imported in the late 1980s by a company called Island Fireworks in Hagar City, Wisconsin. They are by definition a class 5 since they are DOT with no 50mg disclaimer, however they are from deep into the class 6 era. The firecrackers themselves are RWB barber pole wraps just like Flying Dragon brand and Super Flash brand. They are very good performers in most cases, weighing in the 1 grain ballpark. There are actually 5 different bricks from Island Fireworks with only 40/50 configuration. Chinese Junk, Pagoda, Island Dragon, Great Wall and a mixed brick of all 4. Island also brought in a series of 80/16 bricks with firecrackers from a different factory. These crackers only came in 16s and had a red and green sunburst wrap. They are equally loud. The names on these are Pigeon, Beauty, Mammon and Peony. Unfortunately they are no longer available but do show up on the after market quite a lot. If you see them, don’t be afraid to grab a brick.

[BillRoss]

...They are very good performers in most cases, weighing in the 1 grain ballpark....

That is a fascinating story. How were they able to these if they were over the 50mg limit?

[countryboy7978]

You have to remember that most of what people call Class 5 was mostly Class 6. Class 5 only spanned a few years ( ‘73-‘76). Other than the original Thunder Bomb (Daisy and Confetti wraps mostly), some Black Cat, some Zebra, Anchor, Camel and the red label Red Lantern Supercharged, most were sold during the late 70s-mid 1990s making them Class 6. Some manufacturers rarely labeled their crackers with the 50mg requirement. Red Lantern and Horse/Tiger only had labels on a select few and mostly were added as little white sticky labels rather than printed on the pack.
As far as these crackers in question...since they were brought in by a very small firm and distributed on a regional basis for the most part, they would likely not have gotten the attention of CPSC. There are several other Class 6 complete with 50mg labeling that far exceed the load in these. Again Duck brand were class 6 and labeled properly but have over 2 grain. Some of the Atomic brands (M80/Cherry Bomb brands) were very stout as was FOAs Block Buster and Phantom’s Wolfpack during their initial release. My guess would be that there were plenty of hot loaded firecrackers that were not compliant that were sitting in these firecracker factories warehouses and these importers cut a deal to have them brought in with their labeling.

[countryboy7978]

If you find a true crimped firecracker (no sawn or smashed in ends), then chances are that it will contain over 50mg. Crimped crackers were most likely made in the 70s or early 80s even if they were sold after. This style with the exception of Li & Fing brands (Black Cat and Zebra) have always had an above average load. Class 6 Black Cats (no Black Cat printed on the wraps) were all pretty damn near 50mg. I guess they didn’t want to risk their shipments by bringing in overloads.

[halk]

Countryboy is correct. Chuck brought these in in 1989 so that is indeed 'deep in the Class 6 era"

For what its worth, this is the system I use to roughly sequence the Class 6 labels in my albums:

Class 6 Labels marked DOT (Department of Transportation) from 1976-1994 marked Caution and with a powder content indicator or marked Warning (no earlier than 1989) with or without the indicator. The indicator may be on pack stickers (first use) or stamped or printed on labels. These indicators include the words and phrases “50 mg.,” “reduced to comply with FDA regulations,” “maximum load,” “maximum blast,” “maximum charged,” “maximum power,” “mountainman sized,” “Chinese type super,” X-tra big’uns,”“new supercharged,” or “improved new.” Only one brand (Duck) made in Macau; all others made in China or reprocessed or repacked in Macau or Hong Kong. The year-of-issue is noted where it is thought to be reasonably accurate. I have indicated a rough sequence of issue as follows:

6a DOT-Caution. Powder content indicator. Manufactured in Macau.
6b DOT-Caution. Powder content indicator. Made in China; repackaged or reprocessed in Hong Kong or Macau
6c DOT-Caution. Powder content indicator. Made in China
6d DOT-Warning. With or without powder content indicator.

[BillRoss]

Great info fellas. That does help me understand how & when these brands were made available.